CORON, PHILIPPINES — Philippine authorities continued a large-scale search-and-rescue operation Thursday after a passenger ferry caught fire off Palawan, killing five people and leaving 87 others unaccounted for as rescuers worked around the damaged vessel and changing sea conditions.
The fire broke out aboard the M/V June Aster on Wednesday evening as the vessel approached Coron, a popular tourist destination in Palawan. The Philippine Coast Guard said the ship’s manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members, for a total of 134 people aboard.
As of the latest Coast Guard update, 42 people had been rescued and five deaths had been recorded, leaving 87 people still to be located based on the manifest. Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab stressed that the figures were live and could change as search teams continued identifying rescued passengers and locating those still missing.
Search continues around damaged vessel
Coast Guard vessels, government responders, military assets, private volunteers and local fishermen were participating in the search.
The operation has been complicated by rough sea conditions, strong currents and the condition of the burned ferry. The vessel drifted from its original position after the distress call, increasing the area that rescuers must cover.
The Coast Guard has also coordinated with nearby coastal communities and vessels in the area to watch for passengers who may have reached shore or been carried away from the site by currents.
The burned ferry remained afloat but was heavily damaged. Rescue teams faced continuing smoke, heat and other hazards that restricted access to the vessel.
The Coast Guard said the rescued passengers included 38 passengers and four crew members in its reported tally. Some survivors were taken to local facilities in Coron for medical treatment and assistance.
Cause of fire remains under investigation
Authorities have not established what caused the fire.
The Coast Guard is coordinating with the shipping company and maritime authorities as investigators work to determine where and how the blaze began. One survivor reportedly indicated that the fire may have started in the cargo area, but that account has not been established as the official cause.
Authorities are also examining whether there were possible safety violations. The Coast Guard said it was looking into questions including whether the vessel was overloaded and whether passengers had been provided with adequate life jackets.
Some rescued passengers were reportedly found without life jackets, while others may have jumped from the vessel as the fire spread. Those circumstances remain part of the ongoing investigation.
Families await information
The continuing uncertainty has left families searching for information about relatives who were aboard the ferry.
The municipal government of Coron released emergency contact numbers for people trying to determine whether missing relatives had been rescued or admitted to local hospitals. Local health authorities said some survivors remained hospitalized, including several in critical condition.
The Coast Guard has cautioned that the casualty and missing-person figures remain subject to revision as responders identify survivors and reconcile the passenger manifest.
For now, the immediate priority remains locating the people still unaccounted for while investigators work to establish what caused the ferry to catch fire.
Reporting Credit: Philippine Coast Guard — passenger manifest, casualty and rescue figures, search-and-rescue operations, vessel location and investigation into the fire; Coron local government — survivor assistance and information services for families of missing passengers.
Sources: The Philippine Coast Guard’s latest reported figures put the manifest at 134 people, with 42 rescued and five dead, leaving 87 people unaccounted for at the time of the update. The Coast Guard warned that the figures could change as the operation continued. Coast Guard information reported by Philippine media established that the vessel carried 117 passengers and 17 crew members and that search-and-rescue operations remained underway. The cause of the fire remains officially undetermined. Authorities are examining possible safety violations, including potential overloading and availability of life jackets. International reporting also recorded a changing rescue count during the operation, underscoring that casualty and missing-person figures remained fluid.
